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Developing
the Youngest Generation |
Nike
Golf provides a springboard for aspiring stars |
By
Tonya Oskarson
Director of Corporate Communications
Imagine the butterflies of a 13-year-old girl standing on the
No. 1 tee in her first national junior event with thousands
of thoughts running through her head.
Please let me hit a good tee shot right down the middle and
start with a par and then I will continue to take it one hole
at a time.
 |
| Taylore
Karle and Mu Hu claimed the Nike Golf Junior Championship
title in 2004. The event, to be held again at Langdon
Farms Golf Club, is the culmination of the Nike Golf Junior
All-Star Series. |
And that’s what she did – and has been doing ever
since.
In-Bee Park teed it up in her first AJGA event at the 2001 Junior
All-Star event at Kissimmee Bay Country Club. Her thoughts that
day of the first round were those of hundreds of junior golfers
who are looking to gain valuable national experience. Park,
like most, needed this experience to gain confidence in her
game, and she used the Nike Golf Junior All-Star Series to do
just that.
After firing rounds of 72-70 at the event at Kissimmee Bay,
Park claimed her first national victory, one of what became
many. The Nike Golf Junior All-Star Series was a stepping stone
in her path to be at the top of junior golf.
Park went on to earn Rolex Junior Player of the Year honors
the following year and to date has claimed seven AJGA titles
and is a three-time first-team Rolex Junior All-America honoree.
"Nike Golf Junior All-Star Series tournaments were a very
valuable experience for me,” said Park. “These events
really helped me get to the next level of golf."
The Nike Golf Junior All-Star Series has become a proving ground
for many aspiring junior golfers. The series was created in
1998 to give younger AJGA members (ages 12-15) more opportunities
to play competitive golf. Since then, hundreds of junior golfers
have gotten their start there.
Ty Tryon was just 14 years old when he carded rounds of 69-67—136
at Kissimmee Bay Country Club in 1998 to defeat the likes of
Casey Wittenberg by three strokes. Tryon continued his climb
to the top of the junior ranks, claiming five more national
junior titles. Wittenberg went on to make a name for himself
as well, posting numerous top finishes and claiming Rolex Junior
Player of the Year honors in 2001.
Nike
Golf Junior at Fort Myers
Miromar Lakes Beach & Golf Club |
Miromar
Lakes, Fla.
May
31-June 3, 84 players |
Nike
Golf Junior at Las Cruces
Sonoma
Ranch Golf Course |
Las
Cruces, N.M.
June
6-9, 84 players |
Nike
Golf Junior at Colonial presented by Mississippi Farm
Bureau
Colonial
Country Club |
Jackson,
Miss.
June
13-16, 84 players |
Nike
Golf Junior at Jacksonville
Paradise
Point Golf Course - Gold Course |
Camp
Lejeune, N.C.
June
20-23, 84 players |
Nike
Golf Junior at Quad Cities
Glynns
Creek Golf Course |
Long
Grove, Iowa
July
5-8, 84 players |
Nike
Golf Junior at Marshallia
Marshallia
Ranch Golf Course |
Lompoc,
Calif.
July
25-28, 99 players |
Nike
Golf Junior at Toftrees
Toftrees
Resort |
State
College, Pa.
August
1-4, 99 players |
Nike
Golf Junior at Redhawk
Redhawk
Golf Club |
Temecula,
Calif.
August
1-4, 84 players |
Nike
Golf Junior at Fox Hills
Fox
Hills Resort - The National Course
|
Mishicot,
Wisc.
August
8-11, 99 players |
Nike
Golf Junior Championship
Langdon
Farms Golf Club
|
Aurora,
Ore.
September 2-4, 72 players |
Seung
Su Han played in four Junior All-Star events in 2001 and claimed
the title at the Series Championship. The following year, he
too was named the Rolex Junior Player of the Year.
Jane Park, the reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion,
picked up her first national win at a Nike Golf Junior All-Star
event in 2000. She went on to claim Rolex Junior All-America
honors three times.
Sihwan Kim, the reigning U.S. Junior Amateur champion, claimed
two Nike Golf Junior All-Star titles in 2003 and is a two-time
Rolex Junior All-American.
"The Junior All-Star Series is a perfect fit with Nike
Golf's initiatives to grow the game of golf and build a deeper
connection with the future leaders of the sport,” said
Chad Homsey, Nike Golf collegiate field rep. “The Series
will give these kids a rare national platform to showcase their
talents. We are proud to be sponsoring the Series and to be
associated with the AJGA."
Nike Golf has elevated the series since it became title sponsor
three years ago. With Nike Golf’s support, the series
has expanded from three events in 1998 to the 10 to be conducted
in 2005. This year, events will be conducted across the country
in nine different states with approximately 775 playing opportunities
available.
One of the ways Nike Golf has elevated the series is by conducting
the Nike Golf Junior Championship at the picturesque Langdon
Farms Golf Club, near Portland, Ore., home of Nike’s World
Headquarters. Participants and their families are given a tour
of the impressive facilities and the Tiger Woods Building. In
place of the normal Players Meeting held at most events, Nike
Golf hosts the players and their families at the Nike Campus
for an evening of celebration where postseason awards are handed
out the night before the championship begins.
“The Nike Golf Junior All-Star Series has been a huge
success,” said Jason Etzen, AJGA executive vice president
of development. “Nike Golf’s support has helped
us take the series to the next level and aided in our mission
to help junior golfers earn college golf scholarships.”
The Nike Golf Junior All-Star Series has played a vital role
in the success of many junior players. As the short history
of the series has already shown, the champions of the series
this year are the core of golf’s next generation. |
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